Holiday itinerary
Tucked away in rural France in the Lot-et-Garonne region just an hour’s drive south east of Bordeaux, this tastefully restored French farmhouse is the setting for your 3 night / 4 day French pâtisserie holiday.
Under the guidance of your friendly French host and cook Marlène, you will visit a local patisserie to first sample a few classic pastries before heading back to the farmhouse to learn the skills and techniques to create your own host of delicious desserts.
Enjoy three fun filled baking lessons in English, visits to local bakers and plenty of free time to relax and enjoy this beautiful area known as the ‘garden of France’ for a French cookery holiday with a difference.
Suitability
- These patisserie courses are suitable for all levels from complete beginners to experienced cooks
- Minimum age 5 (under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult)
- Your hosts are British and French so all cooking classes are taught in English
Travelling Solo?
- These short cookery breaks make great singles holidays and singles are welcome to join an existing group and there will be NO single supplements for solo travellers and you will have your own private room for no extra cost
Non-Cooking Guests
- Non cooking guests are welcome to share a room with a cooking guest and prices for the non-cooking guest will be discounted accordingly, please see our ‘costings and extras’ tab for prices
- To book with a non-cooking guest, email or contact us via live chat (click on the ‘start chat’ link at the bottom of this page) or call us to check availability
French Pastry Course Start Days
- You may arrive on Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday year round, subject to availability
- Holidays are for 3 nights / 4 days
- If you can’t find the date you are looking for or you'd like to arrive on another day of the week, please email us and we’ll do our utmost to get availability for you as quickly as possible
French Pâtisserie Course Itinerary
The itinerary is for guidance only and is subject to change depending on the group’s needs and wishes but is typically as follows:
Day 1 - Arrival day and dinner
- Check into your room any time after 4pm, take your time to explore the house, gardens and local area
- Around 7pm you will enjoy a welcome drink and canapés with Marlene, who will talk you through your pastry lessons
- Around 7.30pm, enjoy a 3 course dinner with wine with the group
Day 2 - Market town visit and 1st cooking class
- Enjoy a leisurely French breakfast before heading off to visit a local French pâtisserie to sample some classic pastries
- Marlene will also show you round the little market town so you can soak up some of the south west charm
- After indulging your sweet tooth, return back to the farmhouse for a lovely lunch made by your host and cook Marc
- After lunch around 1.30pm, head to the kitchen for your first French pastry lesson where you’ll learn to recreate some of the pastries you tasted in the morning
- Around 7pm, enjoy an aperitif followed by a delicious dinner and of course the pastries you learned to cook that day
Day 3 - 2nd cooking class in the morning, 3rd cooking class in afternoon
- Enjoy a leisurely French breakfast before heading straight to the kitchen to start baking
- Stop for lunch and after lunch finish off your pastries before taking some time out to relax for the rest of the afternoon
- Around 7pm, enjoy an aperitif followed by a delicious dinner and of course the pastries you learned to cook that day
Day 4 - Departure day
- After breakfast guests are asked to check-out of their rooms by 11am ready for departure taking home with them new baking skills and an insight into French life that will stay with them long after the holiday is over
About Your Cook
- Your host is the easy going, fun and friendly Marlène, who lives at the house with her British husband Marc and their 2 children
- To read Marlene's story of how she came to set up her cooking school, click here
- Marlene is French but teaches all classes in English
- Marlène’s philosophy is that food is central to life, cooking comes from the heart and believes that meals should be full of flavour and not too difficult to prepare
- Not only an accomplished French cook learning from her own mother and grandmother from an early age, Marlène has taught many visitors to France how to cook for several years and she also occasionally operates a restaurant from the farmhouse
- Marlène has a passion for patisserie and is keen to pass on her skills and techniques learned over the years and passed from generation to generation
What Will I Learn?
- Courses concentrate on French pastry baking
- Marlène prefers to teach without measuring when possible, instead she uses techniques and taste to help you learn the skills to prepare pastries using your own interpretation
- You’ll learn to make chocolate or coffee éclairs, religieuses, fruit tartlets, mille-feuilles, bavarois, charlotte, crêpes, mousse gâteau, lemon tart, brioche and of course the all-important French macaroons
Want To Specialise?
- If you’d like to specialise in any particular type of baking, perhaps working with chocolate or cake decoration, please request this prior to booking and we will aim to accommodate that for you
Sample Pastries
- Brioche
- Chocolate or coffee éclairs
- Religieuses
- Fruit tartlets using seasonal fruits
- Mille-feuilles
- Bavarois
- Charlotte
- Crêpes
- Mousse gateau
- Tarte au citron
- Macaroons
About The Accommodation
- Your accommodation is set in the small village of Anzex in the Lot-et-Garonne of France, just an hour from Bordeaux
- There are a total of 4 twin/double guest rooms all with private bathroom
- If you are travelling solo, there will be NO single supplements for solo travellers and you will have your own private room for no extra cost
- All rooms are tastefully decorated mixing traditional French style with modern comforts
- Rooms have a mix of exposed stone walls, wooden floors and sloping ceilings with exposed oak beams
- The house is surrounded by wonderful gardens where you can eat outside or relax on the sun loungers
- Accommodation is included for 3 nights / 4 days
- Check in any time after 4pm on day 1 and check out by 10.30am on day 4
- Free Wi-fi is available throughout the house
- Your hosts have dogs and a cat who are not allowed in guests desginated areas
Free Time In France
- This French pastry cookery break is packed with sweet delights but in your free time on your arrival and departure days you may want to explore the local area
- The Lot-et-Garonne is known as the Garden of France, in your free time explore the unspoilt landscape, nature and wildlife, wander around the local villages, the sunflower fields and vineyards
- Your hosts will give you lots of information on what activities are on offer in the local area such as the local nature walks, horse riding, bicycle hire, local markets and more
- It is recommended to have a car to fully explore the area and you may find you wish to stay on for a few nights to get the most out of your trip!
Go learn the secrets of traditional French patisserie cooking on this wonderful pastry cooking break in France guaranteed to satisfy those with a sweet tooth.